Favorites
Featured here are the stories that I believe to be some of my best work thus far. Most focus on small businesses and artists — a passion I’ve cultivated through my own entrepreneurial journey with Crocheted by Payton. My goal is to tell compelling stories that not only inform but help individuals feel seen and heard, shedding light on the successes and challenges that define those experiences.
The Lily Barn
The Lily Barn is a small gift shop and event space started in 2022 by Megan Perry after the death of her beloved dog, Lily. This magazine-length feature story chronicles the struggle of getting a business off the ground in rural Burlington, N.C., the highly successful craft markets hosted at the space, and the grief that underscored Perry’s journey as she worked to create something that would honor her faithful pet. A condensed version of the article was published in the Burlington Times-News.
“A City of Poets”
This story, published in the Durham Voice paper, highlights the community impact of Chris Vitiello, known to most in the Durham, N.C. community as “the Poetry Fox.” Named as Durham’s second-ever poet laureate in Sept. 2024, the article details both Vitiello’s motivations as the Poetry Fox and his goals in the poet laureate position.
From Classroom to Conference Room
After eight years as Spanish teacher at Southern Alamance High School in Graham, N.C., Cristen Bullock made the difficult decision to leave her dream job for a drastically different career. This magazine-length feature situates her journey within the broader context of the ongoing crisis of support for educators, chronicling the challenges and triumphs that led to her new success as a business development manager. A condensed version of the story was published in the Burlington Times-News.